Colonel Richard Kemp - Is The Iran War The Same As Iraq? British Colonel Breaks Down The Iran War
The Winston Marshall Show
Winston Marshall
4.8 • 658 Ratings
🗓️ 3 March 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with former British Army officer Richard Kemp to break down the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, the legality of intervention, and Britain’s refusal to fully support its allies.
We examine whether military action against Iran is justified under international law, the doctrine of self defence, and the Responsibility to Protect. Colonel Kemp argues that Iran has been at war with the United States and Britain for decades through proxies, and that recent attacks on British sovereign territory in Cyprus change the legal and moral equation.
The conversation explores Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s stance on international law, Britain’s military readiness, and whether domestic Islamist pressure is shaping UK foreign policy. We discuss the perception of British weakness in Washington, the collapse of deterrence, and what this means for NATO, Russia, and China.
We also analyse the battlefield itself, from air superiority and ballistic missile strikes to the degradation of Iran’s military command, Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon, and the possibility of regime change in Tehran. Finally, we examine the wider geopolitical consequences, including oil markets, China’s strategic calculations, Russia’s reliance on Iranian drones, and what this war could mean for Hamas and the future of Gaza.
A hard headed and wide ranging conversation about war, deterrence, sovereignty, and whether the West still has the will to defend itself.
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:58 Iran’s War on the US Since 1979
06:36 The RAF Akrotiri Drone Strike
07:23 Is British Foreign Policy Dictated by Islamists?
11:20 What Britain’s Weakness Signals to Russia & China
12:26 How Americans Now See the UK
14:42 Is This Another Iraq War?
15:37 No Boots on the Ground: The Key Difference
18:46 Who Could Replace the Ayatollahs?
20:25 Regime Infighting & The Iranian Army Factor
23:51 Air Superiority & Destroying Iran’s Missiles
26:31 Iran’s Strategy: Chaos, Honour & Regional Strikes
31:22 Hezbollah, Lebanon & The Northern Front
34:39 Saudi Arabia, Israel & Shifting Middle East Alliances
39:02 Oil, China & The Bigger Geopolitical Play
42:36 Trump’s Red Line vs Obama’s Legacy
46:28 Is Britain Militarily Ready for War?
52:53 What This War Changes for Israel, Gaza & Global Jihad
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to The Winston Marshall Show with me, Winston Marshall. I spoke to Colonel Richard Kemp, |
| 0:05.8 | a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan and a military analyst and expert. We discussed |
| 0:12.6 | the unfolding conflict in Iran, what's happening militarily, what it means geopolitically, what it means |
| 0:19.3 | for Britain who have had sovereign territory |
| 0:20.9 | targeted as a consequence, and yet our Prime Minister Stama does nothing, what it means for |
| 0:27.7 | China, for the war in the Ukraine and Russia, and what it means within the region, relations |
| 0:33.4 | with Israel and its Muslim neighbors, but also with a diminishing Shia-Iran force, |
| 0:40.2 | what does it mean for the Saudis and the Sunni nations? All of this and much more. |
| 0:45.2 | But before you hear from Colonel Richard Kemp, I just wanted to say thank you. |
| 0:49.2 | Thank you for your continued support and for listening to the show. |
| 0:52.0 | Remember to press subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcast from if you want to support us and if you head over to winstonmartial.com. |
| 0:58.8 | UK, not only will you enjoy ad-free viewing and listening, but you'll have the opportunity |
| 1:04.4 | to ask future guests your questions. That's all at winstonmartial.com.com. |
| 1:13.9 | But without further ado, Colonel Richard Kemp, |
| 1:19.9 | thank you so much for taking time to speak with me. I think last time we were together was in northern Gaza only a few months ago. Now you're in Washington, D.C. and I'll ask about how the |
| 1:24.3 | Americans are taking the British failure to support them in the Iran conflict operation epic fury that has been unfolding over the last few days. |
| 1:36.3 | Can I start by asking you quite a big question, which is the question that so many against the war are sort of shouting and asking, is intervening in Iran |
| 1:48.9 | justified? |
| 1:50.9 | It certainly is justified, despite the UK government's effort to suggest that it's against |
| 1:59.7 | international law. |
| 2:00.8 | I think it's justified on two principal grounds. The first one that it's against international law. |
| 2:03.4 | I think it's justified on two principal grounds. |
... |
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